Strand distributing apparatus



Aug 22 119 HANSQN 2,519,461

STRAND DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 8, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Im/vslv TOP 7 I 1 5.0 HANSON 0 A TTORNEV v Aug. 22, 1950 E. D. HANSONSTRAND DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 8, 1947 lNl/ENTOR 5.0. HANSON 1950 E. D. HANSON 2,519,461

STRAND DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS A 7'7'ORNEY Patented Aug. 22, 1950 STRANDDISTRIBUTING APPARATUS Estyle D. Hanson, Baltimore, Md., assignor toWestern Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporationof New York Application February 8, 1947, Serial No. 727,418

\ i v 5Claims. (Cl. 242-458) This invention relates to stranddistributing apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for adjustingthe travel of a strand guiding means in accordance with the size of thestrandbein distributed on strand takeup machines.

In the manufacture of various types of strand materials, such as wires,cables and textile strands, there is usually provided suitable strandtakeup machines by means of which the strand material is wound upon asuitable reel for storage or other purposes. Takeup machines in use atthe present time employ various types of apparatus for distributing thestrand back and forth across the winding surface of the takeup reel. Insome cases the reel itself is moved laterally with respect to thedelivery point of the strand being taken up therl'eby, while in othersthe strand itself is moved back and forth across the winding surface ofthe reel. In either case, this type of takeup machine is generallyreferred to as the traversing type in which there is provided aconventional traversing screw driven in timed relation with respect tothe speed of the takeup reel. The traversing screw serves to reciprocatea slidably mounted nut adjacent to the winding surface of the takeupreel and means are provided on the nut for guiding the strand in whichcase reciprocation of the nut serves to takeup machines, wherein thetravel of a strand distribute the strand evenly across the windingsurface of the reel.

While such distributing apparatus is generally satisfactory, itpossesses a very undesirable feature, in that the traversing screw isprovided with a. thread having a predetermined working length designedto distribute a certain size of strand on a, certain size of takeupreel. This means that if it is desired to-distribute a strand having alarger or smaller diameter on the same takeup reel or the same strand ona reel having a winding surface of difierent width, or any differentcombination of strand and reel, it is necessary to provide thedistributing apparatus with a traversing screw having a thread whoseworking length would suitthe new conditions. 'ously, it is desirable toprovide such takeup machines with a type of strand distributingapparatus which possesses some degree of adjustability, whereby thedistributing apparatus may be adjusted to accomplish the distribution ofstrands of various diameters on takeup reels having winding surfaces ofvarious widths.

An object of the invention is to provide new and improved stranddistributing apparatus.

Another object is to provide new and improved strand distributingapparatus for use with strand distributing element may be adjusted tosuit the diameter of the strand being distributed or the size of thereel used in the takeup machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide new and improved stranddistributing appara-'. tus for use with strand takeup machines, in whichthe travel of strand guiding elements may be varied with respect to theuniform travel of ;a traversing nut carrying the strand guidingelements.

In accordance with a specific embodiment of the invention, there isprovided an adjustable strand distributor for use with strand takeupmachines, which comprises a traversin screw having a double screw threadengaged by a slidaably mounted nut, whereby the nut is reciprocatedadjacent to the winding surface of takeup reel rotatably mounted in thetakeup machine. Rotatable strand guiding members are positioned on abase slidably mounted on the nut. A pivotally mounted track is arrangedto receive a roller fixed on one end of a crank pivotally mounted on thenut, the other end of said crank engaging a pin provided in a basesupporting the strand guiding members. When the track is rotated to theright or to the left, the travel of the strand guiding members will bedecreased or increased, respectively, with respect to the uniform travelof the nut being reciprocated by the traversing screw.

A clear understanding of the invention will be had from the followingdetailed description of a specific embodiment thereof, when read inconjunction with the appended drawings, in

which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a conventional strand takeup machine havingassociated therewith a strand distributing apparatus comprising aspecific embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, front elevation of the strand distributingapparatus shown in Fig. 1;'

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig.2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 4- 4 of Fig. 2;

' Fig. 6 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view taken along line 5--5of Fig. 3;

chine l having a reel rotatably mounted between a pair of spacedsupports i2 and I3 forming a part of the takeup machine It. The reel His coupled to and driven by a suitable electric motor l4, whereby afilamentary strand l5, which may be wire, cable or textile material,being advanced at a constant linear speed by a suitable driven capstanH3, is wound upon the reel In order to distribute the strand i evenlyacross the winding surface of the reel N, there is provided a stranddistributing apparatus l1 (Figs. 1 and 2) which consists of aconventional traversing screw 23 rotatably mounted between the spacedsupports l2 and I3 and driven by the motor M in timed relation withrespect to the rotation of the reel A block-like nut 2| (Figs. 1, 2, 4and 5) is slidably mounted on a pair of spaced guide rods 22 and 23positioned between the supports l2 and I3, which guide rods are parallelwith and horizontally aligned with the traversing screw 26. The nut 2|is provided with a follower 24 (Fig. 5) arranged to engage aconventional double thread 25 provided on the traversing screw 20,whereby when the screw is being driven by the motor M, the nut 2| willbe reciprocated by the thread adjacent to the winding surface of thereel I. A pair of strand guiding rollers 26 and 21 are rotatably mountedon the nut 2| and are spaced thereon so as to have the strand |5 passbetween the rollers as it advances from the capstan IE to the takeupreel The double thread 25 (Figs. 1 and 2) provided on the traversingscrew has a fixed working length, which imparts a definite reciprocationto the nut 2|, that is to say, the thread is designed to distribute agiven size of strand on, a given size of takeup reel. Hence, if it weredesired to use a reel having a slightly wider or narrower windingsurface, or if it was desired to distribute a strand having a larger orsmaller diameter, a separate traversing screw having a thread designedto suit each new condition would have to be provided in the distributingapparatus in order that the strand may be evenly distributed on thereel. The present invention provides for an adjustable stranddistributing apparatus which enables a given strand takeup machine totake up various sizes of strands on takeup reels having slightly largeror smaller winding surfaces.

In order for the strand distributing apparatus to be capable ofdistributing strands of various diameters, the strand guiding members 26and 21 (Fig. 2) must be adjustable so that the space between theirperipheries can be adjusted to suit the size of strand to be advancedtherebetween. The guide member 26 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 30secured in an upright position on a base 3|. The guide member 21 isrotatably mounted in a similar manner on a base 32. The bases 31 and 32are slidably mounted on a support 33 by means of a dovetailed joint 34provided between the bases 3| and 32 and the support 33. A thumb screw35 (Figs. 2, 4, 5 and 6) is rotatably mounted in spaced bearings 36-36secured on opposite sides of the support 33 having a body portion 31thereof provided with a right hand thread which engages a similarlytapped bore 38 provided in the base 3| and a body portion 46 providedwith a left hand thread which engages a similarly tapped bore 4|provided in the base 32.

When the thumb screw 35 is turned in a clockwise direction, as seen inFig. 4, the bases 3| and 32, together with their respective guidemembers 26 and 21, will move away from each other, whereas when thethumb screw is turned in a counterclockwise direction, the guide memberswill move toward each other, equal movement being simultaneouslyimparted to each of the guide members in either instance. In thismanner, by manipulating the thumb screw 35 in the proper direction, theguide members 26 and 21 may be positioned to accommodate strands ofvarious diameters up to the limits of adjustability provided between thebases 3| and 32.

The support 33 on which the bases 3| and 32 are slidably positioned isin turn slidably positioned on the nut 2| by means of a dovetail joint43 (Figs. 4 and 5) provided between the support 33 and the nut 2|. Fromthis arrangement of the support 33 on the nut 2|, it is apparent thatthe strand guiding members 26 and 21 are movable laterally as a unitwith respect to the nut 2|. A boss 44 formed integrally with the support33 at one end thereof, is provided with a bore in which a pin 45 isrigidly secured. The end of the pin 45 extending beyond the boss engagesan open ended slot 46 formed in the end of a lever 41, which is pinnedto a shaft 48 rotatably mounted in spaced bearingt 50-50 provided on theunderside of the nut 2|. A crank 5| (Figs. 2, 4, '1 and 8) is secured onthe op osite end of the shaft 48 with an arm 52 thereof aligned with thearm 41. The arm 52 also is provided with a slot 53 which engages a pin54 secured in a boss 55 formed on the support 33 and opposite the boss44. The crank 5| also is provided with an arm 56 formed integrally withthe arm 52 and positioned at with respect thereto, and has ananti-friction roller bearing 51 secured on the free end thereof by meansof a stud 58 and a nut 58.

An elongated track 66 (Fig. 2), having a channel-shaped cross section,has a bearing 6| centrally positioned on the underside thereof withrespect to its ends, which bearing has a, bore therein arranged toreceive a post 62 secured to a support 63 mounted between the spacedsupports l2 and I3. The post 62 is positioned on the support 63 so as tolocate the track 60 centrally with respect t the working length of thedouble thread 25 provided on the traversing screw 20. An ear 64 ispositioned on the underside of the track 60 at each end thereof, eachear being provided with an elongated aperture 65 arranged to receive thebody portion of a stud 66 secured to the support .63. A- wing nut 61 isthreadedly mounted on each stud 66 and serves to clamp the track 66 tothe support 63 in any desired position. A scale 10 (F gs. 2 and 3) isprovided on the right hand ear 64 adjacent to a pointer 1| secured onthe support 63. To position the track 60 (Fig. 2) in any desiredposition with respect to the horizontal reciprocating axis of the nut2|, the wing nuts 61-61 are loosened sufiiciently to allow the track tobe rotated about the post 62 (Fig. 8) until the desired position of thetrack is btained, after which it may be clamped in that position bytightening the wing nuts 61-41.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings, it will be noted that the track 60is clamped to the support 63 in a horizontal position, that is, thecentral axis of the track is parallel with the reciprocating axis of thenut 2|. When the track is in this position, and the nut is beingreciprocated by the traversing screw 20, the crank 5| carried by the nutremains in the position shown in Fig. 2, asthe nut travels back andforth. Since the crank is not actuated during the travel of the nut,equal reciprocation of the strand guiding members 26 and 21 and the nut2! is obtained. In other words, the distribution of the strand [5 isgoverned solely by the working length of the screw thread 25.

When it is necessary for the strand guiding members to have a shorterreciprocating stroke than that of the nut 2| the track is rotatedclockwise a distance determined by the scale and the pointer 'li (Fig,8). When the track is so positioned, its longitudinal axis is notparallel with the reciprocating axis of the nut. As a result, the roller51 aifixed to the arm 56 of the crank travels along this inclined axis,which causes the crank to be actuated in a clockwise direction, as seenin Fig. 8, during the right hand half of the stroke of the nut andcounterclockwise during the left hand half of the stroke of the nut. Inother words, the left hand stroke and the right hand stroke of thestrand distributing members are forshortened with respect to thecorresponding strokes of the nut 2|. To obtain a reciprocating stroke ofthe strand guiding members 26 and 21 greater than the stroke of the nut2i, the track 60 is rotated counterclockwise, which causes the reverseoperation of the crank 5| as that which occurs when the track is rotatedclockwise, thereby increasing the stroke of the strand guiding members.

The scale TE] and the pointer ll are provided on the apparatus so thatthe track 60 may be set at an angle which will produce the strokedifferential required between the nut 2| and the strand guiding members26 and 21. The scale 10 (Fig. 3) consists of a central line 12 havingthe indicia 0 positioned adjacent to the inner end thereof. When thetrack is positioned so that the line 72 is directly opposite the pointerTI, the longitudinal axis of the track is parallel with thereciprocating axis of the nut, in which position no stroke differentialoccurs between the strand guiding members and the nut during thereciprocation thereof. With the track in this position the thread 25 ofthe traversing screw 20 controls the distribution of the strand I5. Thescale it is also provided with lines 13-43 above the central line 12 andlines 14-14 below the line 72. the indicia A, and 1 positioned adjacentto the inner ends thereof, beginning at the central line and proceedingupward or downward as the case may be. The word Decrease may beimprinted adjacent to the lines l3'l3 while the word Increase may beimprinted adjacent to the lines "Hii l. The indicia /4, /2, and 1opposite the lines EB-J3 of the Decrease portion of the scale it serveto indicate that when the track is positioned so that one of the lines'i3-'|3 is aligned with the pointer 16, the indicia opposite theselected line 73 is the actual decrease in inches, in the stroke of thestrand guiding members that the selected position of the track produceswith respect to the uniform stroke of the nut. Likewise, the indicia n,V and l opposite the lines l4ld f the Increase portion of the scale 19indicate the actual increase, in inches, of the stroke of the strandguiding members that the selected position of the track produces withrespect to the @uniform stroke of the nut. Obviously, the track may bepositioned so that the pointer H is aligned with any desiredintermediate point between the lines 13l3. and 14-14 in order to Thelines 13 l3 and 14-14 have obtain a required stroke differential betweenthe strand guiding members and the nut.

When the track is rotated in a clockwise direction about the post 62 sothat one of the lines 1313 is directly opposite the pointer H the strokeof the strand guiding members with respect to the stroke of the nut willbe decreased by the amount indicated opposite the selected line 13. Tocause the stroke of the strand guiding members to be increased withrespect to the stroke of the nut, the track 60 is rotated in acounterclockwise direction about the post 62 so that one or the lines14-44 of the Increase side of the scale 10 is directly opposite thepointer 1!. When the track is so positioned, the stroke of the strandguiding members with respect to the stroke of the nut will be increasedby the amount indicated opposite the selected line 74. It is believed tobe apparent that in order for the crank to make a uniform correction ofthe stroke of the strand guiding members, the roller 51 aifixed to theend of the arm 56 must be vertically aligned with the center of thestrand when the nut 2| is centrally positioned with respect to theworking length of the thread. The overall design of the crank 5| dependson the length of the track required by a given traversing screw and thestroke differential required between the strand distributing members andthe nut.

The above-described apparatus operates in the following manner:

A takeup reel, such as the reel H is mounted on the takeup machine It!and centrally aligned ith respect to the working limits of the nut 2|,and the strand !5 is positioned between the guide members 26 and 21 andsecured to the winding surface of the reel l i. Let it be assumed thatthe strand l5 and the takeup reel I I are of such size that the lengthof the thread 25 of the screw 20 will effect an even distribution of thestrand on the reel. Having this combination of strand and reel, thetrack 69 is positioned on the support :3 so that the central line 12 isaligned with the pointer ii, in which case longitudinal axis of thetrack is parallel with the axis of reciprocation of the nut. The motor Mthen is energized to drive the reel II and the traversing screw 20 inthe proper direction and speed relationship with respect to each other.The nut 2| is reciprocated :by the double thread 25 of the traversingscrew 20, whereby the strand l5, positioned. between the guiding members26 and 21 is reciprocated therewith and is distributed evenly across theWinding surface of the rotating takeup reel, Since the longitudinal axisof the track 60 is aligned horizontally with the axis of reciprocationof the nut, the crank 5! will remain in the position shown in Fig. 2throughout the entire stroke of the nut, in which case the stroke of thestrand guiding members is the same as that of the nut.

Let it now be assumed that it is desirable to have the traversing screw20 of the distributing apparatus i1 distribute a larger diameter strandon the same size takeup reel, such as the takeup reel I I. Since thetraversing screw 20 is provided with a thread 25 having a definiteworking length which imparts a fixed reciprocation to the nut 2 I, it isobviously necessary to shorten the travel of the strand guiding members26 and 21 so that the larger strand will be distributed evenly acrossthe winding surface of the takeup reel H. The strand guiding members 26and 21 may be separated sufiiciently to allow a larger diameter strandto pass therebetween by proper manipulation of the thumb screw 35.However, without further adjustment, the stroke Of the strand guidingmembers 26 and 2'i remains unchanged with respect to the stroke of thenut 2|. To effect the required decreased travel of the strand guidingmembers 26 and 21 with respect to the fixed travel of the nut 2| on thethread 25, it is necessary to loosen the wing nuts 61-61 and rotate thetrack 50 in a clockwise direction about the post 62 until the particularline 13 of the scale 10 which will give the required stroke differentialis aligned with the pointer 1 l.

Having positioned the track 60 in this manner and having installed thetakeup reel II in the takeup machine IO, as described hereinabove, themotor is now energized, whereupon the nut 2| is reciprocated by thetraversing screw 20. As the nut 21 travels back and forth between theends of the thread 25, the roller 56 aflixed to the end of the crank arm55 also rides back and forth in the angularly positioned track 60. Whenthe nut 2| travels to the right hand end of the thread 20, the track 8%which is. engaged by the roller 56 of the crank 5! causes the crank topivot in a counterclockwise direction about the bearings 505D in whichthe crank is rotatably mounted. As the result of this rotation of thecrank 5|, the support 33 which is inovably positioned on the nut 2i andengaged by the slotted end of the crank arm 52 is urged to the left, inwhich case the strand guiding members 26 and 2! have not travelled tothe right so far as the nut 2|. When the nut 2i travels to the extremeleft end of the thread 25 of the traversing screw I9, as illustrated bythe broken line position of the nut and guiding members in Fig. 8 of thedrawings, the crank 5| is pivoted about the bearings 5050 of the nut ina clockwise direction so that the guiding members 26 and 2! have nottravelled so far to the left a has the nut 2|.

Since the track fill is pivotally mounted at its center, the same degreeof angularity of the track occurs on each side of its vertical axis and,

therefore, the shortened travel of the strand guiding members 26 and 27effected by the selected position, is the same for each half stroke ofthe nut. For example, if the track 69 is positioned so that the line I3bearing the indicia is directly opposite the pointer II, it is believedto be clear that the total travel of the strand guiding members 26 and2? with respect to the travel of the nut 21 would be decreased inch.Obviously, the track may be adjusted so that the stroke of the strandguiding members with respect to the nut will be decreased by A or 1 inchto suit the particular strand to be distributed on a given takeup reel.In other words, the indicia positioned adjacent to their respectivelines indicate in each case the stroke differential, in inches, betweenthe stroke of strand guiding members with respect to the uniform strokeof the nut.

The distributing apparatus H is also adjustable to cause the stroke ofthe strand guiding members 26 and 21 to be greater than the stroke ofthe nut 2 I Such adjustment is required when it is necessary todistribute a smaller diameter strand on the same takeup reel H, or todistribute the same size strand on a reel having a wider windingsurface. In any event, the particular combination of the strand size andreel size determines whether the track 60 must be adjusted in accordancewith the .Decrease or Increase sections of the scale 10. To accomplishthis adjustment of the apparatus, the track is rotated in acounterclockwise direction to position the track opposite to that shownin Fig. 8 on the drawings, so that one of the lines 1414 now is directlyopposite the pointer 1 I.

When the track 60 is so positioned and the nut 2| has travelled to theextreme right hand position, the inclined track cause the crank 5| to berotated in a clockwise direction thereby advancing the members 26 and 21further to the right. When the nut has travelled to the extreme lefthand position on th traversing thread 25, the inclined track actuatesthe crank 5| in a counterclockwise direction and causes the strandguiding members to be advanced further to the left. In other words, whenthe track 60 is set in this position, it actuates the crank 5| inopposite directions to that described for it operation when inclined tothe right, and the total stroke of the strand guiding members 26 and 2'!is greater than the fixed stroke of the nut 2|.

It is to be understood that the above-described apparatus for adjustingthe stroke of strand guiding members with respect to the stroke of thereciprocating nut may be modified to accommodate various conditionsarising from the required distribution of various sizes of strands onvarious sizes of reels without departing from the scope of the inventionas defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a strand takeup mechanism having a double threaded traversingscrew and nut uniformly reciprocated thereby, an adjustable stranddistributor, which comprises a pair of spaced strand guiding membersslidably positioned as a unit on the nut, means provided on the nut forimparting equal and opposite movement to the strand guiding members tofix the space between them to suit a strand being distributed, a crankpivotally mounted on the nut and having one end thereof engaging themovable strand guiding members and a roller mounted on the other endthereof, a track pivotally mounted centrally of the double thread of thetraversing screw and arranged to engage the roller provided on the endof the crank, and means for selectively positioning the track withrespect to the reciprocating axis of the nut to obtain a predeterminedactuation of the crank when the nut is reciprocated, whereby when thetrack is pivoted in a clockwise direction the total stroke of the strandguiding members with respect to the stroke of the nut will be decreasedand when the track is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction the totalstroke of the strand guiding members with respect to the stroke of thenut will be increased and when the track is in an intermediate positionthe stroke of the strand guiding member will remain unchanged.

2. An adjustable strand distributor for use with strand takeupapparatus, which comprises a traversing screw, a slidably mounted nutengaged by the traversing screw and reciprocated thereby through a fixedstroke parallel to the winding surface of a takeup reel forming part ofthe takeup apparatus, a pair of adjustable strand guiding membersslidably mounted on the nut as a unit to rotatably engage a strand to bedistributed on the takeup reel, means provided on the nut for impartingequal and opposite movement to the strand guiding members to fix thespace between them to suit the strand to be distributed, a crankpivotally mounted on the nut for imparting lateral movement to saidstrand guiding members with respect to the nut, said crank having aroller fixed on one end thereof, and a track positioned adjacent to thetraversing screw for engaging the roller provided on the end of thecrank as the nut and crank are reciprocated by said traversing screw,said track being pivotally mounted centrally or" the fixed stroke of thenut whereby it may be positioned with respect to the traversing screw toeffect an equal stroke differential between the strand guiding membersand the nut to each side of the center of the winding surface of thetakeup reel on which the strand is being distributed.

3. An adjustable strand distributor for use with strand takeupapparatus, which comprises a traversing screw, a nut slidably mounted onthe traversing screw and reciprocated thereby through a predeterminedstroke parallel to the winding surface of a takeup reel forming part ofthe takeup apparatus, a pair of spaced strand guiding members arrangedto rotatably engage a strand to be distributed on the reel, meansprovided on he nut for supporting said strand guiding members as a unitthereon in an axially movable relationship therewith, means provided onthe supporting means for imparting equal and opposite movement to thestrand guiding members to fix the space between them to suit the size ofa strand to be guided thereby, a crank pivotally mounted on the nut forimparting axial movement to said strand guiding members as a unit, saidcrank having one end engaging the support carrying the strand guidingmeans and a roller mounted on the other end thereof, a track pivotallymounted centrally of the fixed stroke of the nut for engaging the rollerprovided on the end of the crank, and means for clamping the track in aposition which will actuate the crank as the nut is reciprocated by saidtraversing screw and thereby impart equal lateral movement to thestrand-guiding members with respect to the nut at each sideof the centerof the winding surface of the takeup reel, whereby the stroke of thestrand guiding members may be selectively varied with respect to thefixed stroke of the nut n the traversing screw.

4. An adjustable strand distributor for use with strand takeupapparatus, which comprises a traversing screw rotatably mounted betweena pair of spaced supports, a slidably mounted nut uniformly reciprocatedbetween predetermined limits by the traversing screw parallel totheWinding surface of a takeup reel forming part of the takeup apparatus, apair of spaced strand guiding members arranged to rotatably engage astrand to be distributed on said reel, means provided on the nut forsupporting said strand guiding members as a unit on the nut in anaxially movable relationship therewith, said movable supporting meansserving to maintain the strand guiding means at right angles to the nutthroughout the stroke of the nut, a crank pivotally mounted on the nutand having one end thereof engaging the means supporting the said strandguiding members, said crank havin a roller fixed 0n the other endthereof, a track pivotally mounted centrally of the predeterminedoperating limits of the nut for engaging the roller provided on thecrank, said track being adjustable with respect to the reciprocatingaxis of the nut to actuate the crank as the nut is reciprocated by saidtraversing screw and thereby impart axial movement to the support andthe strand guiding members with respect to the nut, means positionedadjacent to one end of the track for indicating the relative position ofthe longitudinal axis of the track with respect to the reciprocatingaxis of the nut, and means for clamping the track to the apparatus in adesired position, whereby when said track is pivoted in a clockwisedirection and clamped therein its longitudinal axis is such that thecrank is actuated and causes the total stroke of the strand guidingmembers to be decreased with respect tothe fixed stroke of the nut andvice versa when the track is pivoted counterclockwise.

5. An adjustable strand distributor for use with strand takeupapparatus, which comprises a traversing screw rotatably mounted betweena pair of spaced supports, a slidably mounted nut reciprocated through afixed stroke by the traversing screw parallel to the winding surface ofa takeup reel forming part of the takeup apparatus, a pair of spacedstrand guiding members arranged to rotatably engage a strand to bedistributed on said reel, a base slidably positioned on the nut forsupporting said strand guiding members as a unit in an axially movablerelationship with the nut, said movable base serving to maintain thestrand guiding members at right angles to the nut throughout the strokeof the nut, means provided on the base for imparting equal and oppositemovement to the strand guiding members to fix the space between them tosuit the size of the strand to be guided thereby, a crank pivotallymounted on the nut and having one end thereof engaging the supportcarrying the strand guiding means, said crank having a roller fixed onthe other end thereof, a track mounted between the supports for engagingthe roller provided on the crank as the nut is reciprocated by saidtraversing screw, said track being pivotally mounted centrally oi thefixed stroke of the nut so that its longitudinal axis may be positionedobliquely with respect to the axis of the traversing screw, means forindicating the position of longitudinal axis of the track with respectto the reciprocating axis of the nut, and means for clamping the trackin an oblique position which will actuate the crank and thereby impartequal lateral movement to the support carrying the strand guidingmembers on each side of the center winding surface of the takeup reel asthe nut is reciprocated by the traversing screw, whereby the stroke'ofthe strand guiding members may be selectively varled with respect to theuniform stroke of the nut on the traversing screw.

ESTYLE D. HANSON.

REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in th file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,941,250 Dale Dec. 26, 19331,948,305 McIlvried Feb. 20, 1934 2,134,369 Merwin Oct. 25, 19382,185,309 Pierce Jan. 2, 1940

